There are American titles aplenty selling for bargain prices in Bangkok’s eastern suburbs

Fifteen months ago, determined to help children improve their English without bankrupting their parents in the process, Sangwan P Wiwat opened Angel Tomorrow, a secondhand bookshop in the busy D Day Market on Seri Centre's third floor.
Sangwan, who hails from Yala, was lucky to land an AusAid scholarship that enabled her to study in Melbourne, so she wanted her kids to learn English at an early age.
“English books are very expensive for the majority of Thais so when my friend come up with a connection for second hand books in America, I decided to open the shop,” says the 34yearold mother who works full time in a travel agency.
Tons of used books are shipped to Bangkok two of three times a year. Each shipment contains 500 books of all different categories, and Sangwan and her daughters rummage through the pile and pick their favourites.
“Even the baby, who’s now two, is a bookworm. I have to read to her all the time,” she says.
Although she started with children’s books, Sangwan now stocks thousands of books for all ages and is about the shop’s space to be double through about 15 months opening.
Most of customers are kids whose moms and dads take them regularly to the shop. “Then parents start looking for titles to read too, so we start stocking novels, nonfiction titles and hobby books.”
Teenagers are also prime customers, fans of romantic novels that they can use in their translation homework.
Prices are very attractive, ranging from Bt40 to Bt300. The condition of the books varies from almost new to worn, but they are all clean and free of dust.
Although she has many more customers than when she first started, Sangwan is still dreaming of success.
“It’s not yet profitable enough for me to leave my job and run the shop full time. But I hope to expand the space and provide every kind of book to my readers. So far all my profits are spend on accomplishing that goal,” she says.
Since all the books are shipped from a contact in New York, titles tend to be American rather than British. So don’t expect to find the biographies of David Beckham or Steven Gerard, though you will find the story of Martha Stewart.

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>> Angel Tomorrow in the D Day Market on the third floor of the At Ease Zone in Seri Centre
>> You can also order books online at www.AngelTomorrow.com.
>> For information, email angeltomorrow@hotmail.com.